STREET ROD 2
I've always been a little skeptical of "new and improved" sequels. Even
though the programmers often have years to collect comments and improve
their product, the revised edition often falls behind newer, non-sequel
products. Although California Dream's latest racing game may not be much
different from the original, it still is enjoyable in its present
incarnation. (This review is based on the IBM PC version.)
Although the settings of the games are a few years apart, the basic
premise of both STREET ROD 2 (SR2) and the original STREET ROD are the same.
You have a few months during summer to improve your car and build up enough
talent and status to race and beat the King. Of course, you have to start
out with the smaller competitors so you can gain enough money for that new
1969 Shelby GT 500 or one of the other better cars in the game, that you'll
need in order to beat the King.
You start out with a limited bankroll, and no car. You can only afford a
fairly worn-out car when the game starts; most of the parts will have
already seen their best days. After getting a car, you'll have to go out and
race at the local drive-in. When each competitor drives by you, pop their
hood to check out their engine. If you want to, challenge them either to a
drag race (just start your car and go as fast as you can), an aqueduct race
(more of an obstacle course), or a more traditional road race on Mulholland
Drive. You might be better off to start with drag racing, since the stakes
are lower and you can get a chance to learn how your car handles before
hitting the real races. Once you've mastered drag racing, which is not
really all that hard, you should have won enough money to improve your
current car, by putting in a new engine, a better intake manifold (or a new
fuel injection or supercharger), new carburetors, racing slicks, or a 3- or
4- speed transmission. On Wednesday nights, you can enter "Grudge Night"
drag races for $30 fee. If you manage to beat four competitors (who usually
get a head start over you, as part of a pre-determined handicap), you can
win $150 back.
In order to make selections, you must use a graphical interface through
mouse, joystick, or keyboard, or enter selections through the keyboard.
Rather than using pull-down menus, you click on various objects (such as a
car's hood to look under the hood to make repairs.) However, the cursor
moves slowly, and like all proprietary graphical interfaces, SR2's interface
is a bit cumbersome. Keyboard entry is, without a doubt, faster than the
mouse or joystick selections, but there is no on-screen list of keyboard
equivalents. At times, the keys are quite logical (hit "H" to look under the
hood, for example), but at other times, the programmers made the strangest
choices for no apparent reason.
As far as game play is concerned, drag races are, by far, the easiest.
All you have to do is head forward, or, if your car has an automatic
transmission, shift gears. But that's all there is. The aqueduct races are a
little bit harder, but they're basically drag races with obstacles. However,
the Mulholland street races are much more difficult. You have to contend
with sharp turns, obstacles, cliffs, and oil slicks. At any reasonable
speeds, this course would not be all that difficult. However, no matter what
car you compete against, the computer always travels at high speeds, even on
sharp turns. So you have to try to match these high speeds, but as a normal
human being, this means you will crash quite often.
But of course, the computer drivers are perfect. Even if you bump into
them from behind at high speeds or vice-versa, you will always crash and
lose the race, but the computer is always in perfect shape. They never hit
any of the obstacles or run off the roads, even if they pass you from some
spot where no car could ever go. But the game is cruel to human drivers. If
you manage to get a substantial lead on your opponent, expect for the police
to pull you over to speeding. Or expect for a car to suddenly pull out from
behind you. Also, if your car's model is identical to the car you have
challenged, expect the computer to be faster, no matter what you do, even if
you have better parts in your car.
The game's only serious flaw is its crash routine. If you travel at slow
speeds, hitting any obstacle will cost you the race, even if you get a
message telling you that the car has not had any damage. The question
remaining in my mind is "why stop the race if your car has not been
damaged?" After all, if you can drive away from a wreck, why wouldn't you be
able to pull into reverse and keep on going? But SR2 is too sensitive to any
crashes, at any speed. Even so much as touching the other car (from behind -
side ramming is allowed) will wreck your vehicle. Scraping the side of a
cliff will also do the same. An apparently tiny rock in the road will also
stop you in your tracks, even if your cars seems to run over the rock.
Basically, there's no such thing as incremental damage; hit anything, and
the race will end.
STREET ROD 2 supports Hercules, CGA, EGA, (these modes require 512K) and
Tandy graphics (requiring 640K), but not VGA. AdLib is supported, but aside
from that, no other sound device, except for the PC speaker is. Both the
graphics and AdLib sound effects are adequate, but are nothing special.
To start a game, you need to type a letter, but not a complete word, from a
given line and page in the letter. Four low-density 5-1/4" (360K) are
included with the package, although there is also an upgrade to 3-1/2"
disks. According to the packaging, SR2 will run on a Tandy or any 100%
compatible, including XT's.
STREET ROD 2 might not have as much to offer in the way of sound and
graphics, especially compared to the newer games on the market. It could use
a few more races, or possibly an extra courses disk (since with only three
races, the game could quickly get old). Owners of the original STREET ROD
may not see much of an advantage in buying the new version; SR2 seems to
have added little, except for a few years and courses, to the original
version. But if you're willing to give up VGA graphics and great sound card
support, SR2 might provide a few hours of enjoyment, along with a little
frustration.
STREET ROD 2 is published by California Dreams and distributed by
Electronic Arts.